When I was a girl, my mother would sometimes reprimand me by saying “Who do you think you are?” As I reflect back on this question, I’m pretty sure she wasn’t asking me a philosophical question. I see that my mother was trying to teach me humility and essentially saying, “don’t get too big…
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When recently kayaking with friends, I noticed a family of water birds swimming nearby. “Oh look, a grebe and her chicks!” I said to my friends. And someone responded, “That’s not a grebe, that’s a wood duck!” And the others agreed with her. I said, “No, I’m pretty sure they’re grebes.” And once again,…
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If you have spent many years reading books on spirituality and attending short workshops, you’ve probably come a long way in your journey with conscious living. But at some point along the way, many of us hit a wall. We may feel like our progress has stalled and that we can’t move past where…
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I debated whether to post about this topic. In light of recent events (and events that have been going on for years and years), I want to present consciousness as part of the solution to healing racism in the United States and in the world. Now, this is a massive topic beyond the scope of…
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“We plan, God laughs.” – Yiddish Proverb A lot of us are at home right now. Many of us have lost jobs. Some of us are ill, recovering from illness, or have loved ones who are ill or at risk. No one planned for this situation. Many of us are experiencing fear along with…
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“Life is what happens when we’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon These days more than ever, what we thought was going to happen and what actually happens are pretty far apart. The Coronavirus is all over the news, and many of us are experiencing fear, dread, and the possibility of disruption in…
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I’ve noticed a lot of people seem to be feeling despair these days, and I’m wondering if you have noticed this too. Strong political divisions. Climate crisis. War. The fear of extinction. I read recently that despair-correlated deaths such as suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol-related deaths have risen to unprecedented levels, especially in young…
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I recently wrote about how to give to the world in a way that feels fulfilling. There are many different ways to give and different levels of commitment, but sometimes we resist giving because we feel overwhelmed. We may feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options for giving. We may feel overwhelmed because…
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I recently taught my annual New Year’s Reflection workshop, and one of my favorite parts of that workshop is reflecting on the previous year. In this workshop, I asked the participants to think back on how they contributed and gave to the world around them in the previous year. This could include helping neighbors,…
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Around this time of year in the northern hemisphere, we often hear about the winter blues or the winter “blahs”. Right now, a lot of us are commiserating about snow and cold like there’s something new about wintertime! I used to dislike winter, but I’ve changed the way I approach this season to make…
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